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After the, let's face it, unexpected quality and box office success of "Thor" and "Captain America," they pretty much know they have a winner in the "The Avengers." So much so, in fact, that they are further pantsing rival DC Comics in public by releasing trailers for straight-to-DVD short films.

Called "Marvel One Shots," these mini films star Clark Gregg's S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Coulson and are meant to connect the events of 'Iron Man," "Iron Man 2," "The Incredible Hulk," "Thor," and "Captain America." The first one will debut on the DVD and Blu-ray of "Thor."

We already mentioned how the films may include cameos from lower tier Marvel heroes, but they may also answer some little nagging questions like, "How did Agent Coulson get from Malibu to New Mexico?" "Does S.H.I.E.L.D. have good dental?" and, of course, how precisely Dr. Bruce Banner's experiments turned timid Edward Norton into the rampaging Mark Ruffalo.

The first teaser - again, this is a teaser. For a short film - is for an installment called "The Consultant."

Of course, the "consultant" in question is Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. Remember at the end of "Iron Man 2," when Nick Fury tells Tony he's not an official member of the Avengers, but rather a...well, you can guess. We imagine the rest of the film may explain some of how Tony earns his Avengers roster spot.